Ambient Temperature Hydrocarbon Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO_x Using Atmospheric Pressure Nonthermal Plasma Activation of a Ag/Al2O3 Catalyst

摘要

Atmospheric pressure nonthermal-plasma-activated catalysis for the removal of NO_x using hydrocarbon selective catalytic reduction has been studied utilizing toluene and n-octane as the hydrocarbon reductant. When the plasma was combined with a Ag/Al2O3 catalyst, a strong enhancement in activity was observed when compared with conventional thermal activation with high conversions of both NO_x and hydrocarbons obtained at temperature ≤250 °C, where the silver catalyst is normally inactive. Importantly, even in the absence of an external heat source, significant activity was obtained. This low temperature activity provides the basis for applying nonthermal plasmas to activate emission control catalysts during cold start conditions, which remains an important issue for mobile and stationary applications.